The newest tech
<p> The year is more than halfway over, but there's still a lot of great new tech to look forward to. A slew of upcoming announcements should reveal some of the best business gadgets of 2014, including new tablets, smartphones and maybe even devices running a brand-new version of Windows. Before you shell out for that new business gadget you've been eyeing, read on for five more options that are likely to launch before the end of the year.</p>
Galaxy Note 4
<p></p> <p> Samsung's upcoming phablet is primed to improve upon one of the best business phones around. The so-called <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6925-samsung-galaxy-note-4-rumors-business-features.html">Galaxy Note 4</a> is the follow-up to the Galaxy Note 3, which launched last year with a stunning, 5.7-inch (14.5 centimeters) screen that's big enough for real productivity tasks, and a stylus that turns the device into a note-taking machine.</p> <p> So what do users have to look forward to in the Galaxy Note 4? For starters, the line's trademark stylus is sure to return, so you can write notes and draw diagrams right on the phone's display. And the Note 4 is certain to feature a screen that rivals Samsung's newer Galaxy S5 in terms of brightness and picture quality, though it's not yet known if the size of the screen will change. Finally, a fingerprint reader is likely to be embedded in the device's home button. That will provide a nice security boost, letting you lock and unlock the Note 4 with a swipe of your fingertip.</p>
iPhone 6
<p> </p> <p> If you love iOS but find the iPhone 5s' compact, 4-inch (10 cm) screen too cramped to work on, the next version of the iPhone could be exactly what you've been waiting for. The so-called <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6883-iphone-6-rumors-features-business.html">iPhone 6</a> is expected to feature a bigger display, with most reports pointing toward a 4.7-inch (12 cm) screen size. That's a big deal for business users who want to perform screen-intensive tasks such as editing documents on their smartphones. Meanwhile, the phone is expected to get a processor upgrade with Apple's blazing-fast A8 processor, which should be even faster than the speedy, 64-bit A7 chip in the iPhone 5s.</p> <p> TouchID is also expected to return; this fingerprint reader debuted with the iPhone 5s and made that device one of the most secure business phones around. The reader is embedded in the phone's Home button and lets you unlock the device using just your fingertip. And, of course, buying an iPhone gives you access to the iOS app store, which has arguably the biggest and best app library on any mobile platform.</p>
iPad Air (2nd Generation)
<p> </p> <p> Apple hasn't made many announcements about a follow-up to last year's iPad Air, but reports suggest the next iteration of the iPad is likely just a few months away. As usual, the second-generation iPad Air is expected to be thinner and more powerful than its predecessor. Some rumors suggest that new technology that integrates the screen with the main panel of the tablet will help Apple slim down its main slate.</p> <p> Reports say that the tablet will retain the iPad's standard 9.7-inch (25 cm) screen size, and some rumors even suggest Apple might be working on an even bigger, 12- or 13-inch (30 or 33 cm) version, dubbed the iPad Pro. Finally, it's likely that the next round of iPads, including the follow-up to last year's iPad mini with Retina display, will incorporate the TouchID fingerprint reader that debuted with the iPhone 5s. This will let tablet users quickly and easily unlock the device without fiddling with cumbersome lock screens.</p>
BlackBerry Passport
<p> </p> <p> BlackBerry hasn't been in the smartphone spotlight for quite a while, but the unique new <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6761-blackberry-passport-business-features.html">BlackBerry Passport</a> might turn some heads when it launches in September. The device has a suite of features you won't find on any other business phone, including a big, square screen that offers better dimensions for viewing documents and spreadsheets, BlackBerry says. On rectangular phones, you're forced to choose between standard portrait mode, which crams your data into a narrow column, and landscape mode, which gives you a wider viewing angle but restricts how many vertical rows you can see at once.</p> <p> The Passport also retains the standout feature that made BlackBerry phones great for business in the first place: a physical QWERTY keyboard. This keyboard lets you tap out messages by pressing actual buttons, giving you a more tactile typing experience that's potentially easier and more accurate than what a virtual keyboard can provide. And, of course, the Passport will retain BlackBerry's trademark security features, including built-in encryption for email and messaging, as well as device-management tools that make it easy to deploy company-owned devices to your employees.</p>
Windows 9 tablets
<p> </p> <p> This is where the forecast starts to veer deeper into speculation territory. What we do know is that Microsoft will reveal a follow-up to its Windows 8 operating system that's redesigned with new features to entice businesses. A downloadable preview of the so-called <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6963-windows-9-rumors-top-5-business-features.html">Windows 9</a> update is expected to launch around the same time, and new tablets and PCs running the OS refresh could launch before the end of the year. Microsoft hasn't confirmed when the update will see a full consumer release, however.</p> <p> Regardless, Windows 9 deserves to be on business users' radar. The future update is rumored to mark the return of the classic Start menu, possibly entirely replacing the colorful full-screen Start-menu that debuted with Windows 8. That should help get businesses on board, since many opted to ignore Windows 8 to avoid retraining employees. Windows 9 might also bring Cortana, Microsoft's personal assistant app that recently launched on Windows Phone, to the desktop, and introduce virtual desktop functionality.</p><ul> <li> <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6963-windows-9-rumors-top-5-business-features.html">Windows 9 Rumors: Top 5 Business Features</a></li> <li> <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6925-samsung-galaxy-note-4-rumors-business-features.html">Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Rumors: Top 5 Business Features </a></li> <li> <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6761-blackberry-passport-business-features.html">BlackBerry Passport: Top 3 Business Features </a></li>
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